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The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs confirmed on Friday that there would be no military intervention against Qatar by the four countries boycotting it.

"The Quartet confirmed since day one that the solution of the crisis will be diplomatic and its developments will be within sovereign rights," Dr Anwar Gargash said. "However, Qatar’s panic and weakness has created the illusion of a military intervention."

Earlier on Friday, the Quartet — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt — issued a joint statement clarifying that military force against Qatar had never been on the table.

The Quartet said it regretted the Kuwaiti emir's statement that its mediation had succeeded in preventing a military intervention. The Quartet "stresses that the military option was never — and never will be — an option in any way."

In response, Kuwait's foreign ministry acknowledged the Quartet's efforts to end the dispute with Qatar while confirming its role as mediator.

The ministry said Kuwait would continue its attempts to “heal the rift and end the dispute" and stressed that its mediation had helped to prevent an escalation in the crisis.

Meanwhile, German chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to host Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim for talks next Friday, in what will be his first trip to a western capital since the dispute broke into the open.

The talks are expected be dominated by the stand-off in the Arabian Gulf, although Ms Merkel's spokesman said he did not yet have details of the agenda.